This image was lost some time after publication, but you can still view it here.

Caveat emptor!! Excuse us for being skeptics, but couldn't the seller of a $5 million exotic German prototype supercar bother to include pictures that aren't from some magazine (and are of the car that's supposedly up for auction)? Just asking. Apparently the seller says he has an Isdera prototype from 1999, strangely dubbed the C112 (after a Mercedes-Benz concept car of the early 1990s). If this auction entry is on the level, some well-heeled buyer has the chance to own one of the rarest vehicular prototypes known to man. If it's not, some hooplehead's gonna lose his shirt, big time.

Advertisement

Isdera (Ingenieurgesellschaft f r Styling, DEsign und RAcing) was founded in 1983 by former Porsche designer Eberhard Schulz. His plan was to crash the world of exotic, limited-production car marques with his own six-figure supercars based on Mercedes-sourced components. According to lore, he succeeded in creating 100 cars, including the Commendatore (shown in the eBay ad pictures), the company's third and most over-the-top model, in 1993. It was powered by a 7.4-liter V12 Mercedes engine stoked to generate 710 bhp and cost in the high six-figure range, but failed to generate enough cash to keep the company afloat. Word is, Isedra had shuttered by 2001.

Now, the eBay car has a bogus VIN, according to eBay's Auto Check, making the auction either a high-profile scam, or an opportunity to buy a newer, one-off prototype that has somehow failed to make it into the digital annals. One thing's for sure, it's definitely not the Mercedes C112 concept from 1991. [Thanks to Johnny for the tip.]